Water treatment

In winter, Schiphol Airport uses fluids - glycol and potassium acetate - to keep aircraft and its runways ice-free. The problem is that these substances run off in rainwater into the surrounding ditches. These substances are biodegradable, and this process removes oxygen from the water. And this has many harmful consequences for fish and plants. Action at source and in the water system will help. But the solution also lies in drainage: existing and new sewers will take the water to huge storage tanks, after which it will be purified.
A clear problem with an equally logical and simple solution? Yes and no. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, the local Water Board and Royal Haskoning are working on a solution which is far from simple, explains Royal Haskoning's Jan Appelman, Project Manager. "No single solution exists. To be blunt, it's an extremely complicated situation. We've been investigating and considering matters for at least 18 months now, and we only entered the design stage in early 2009. If everything runs to plan, the project will finish in 2013. Let's be clear: it will take many kilometers of underground pipes, tens of thousands of cubic metres of water buffers, and tens of millions of euro. A real mega-project." At the same time, Schiphol is still looking for good alternatives which might scale down the redevelopment, help to cut costs and enhance sustainability, from water resources to purification of the water. Examples might be to use alternative snow and ice dispersants, anaerobic purification, purification with algae ponds and more vacuum cleaning and snow sweeper vehicles.